Spark arrester for a receptacle



March 16, 1965 w. MAGNUSON 7 SPARK ARRESTER FOR A RECEPTACLE Filed Aug. 16, 1963 WALTER MAGNUS ON IN VENTOR.

United States Patent Ofi ice 3,173,568 Patented Mar. 16, 1965 3,173,568 SPARK ARRESTER FOR A RECEPTACLE Walter Magnuson, Millbury, Mass, assignor to G. F. Wright Steel & Wire Company, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Aug. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 302,643 Claims. (Cl. 220-24) This invention relates to a new and improved spark arrester, and the principal object of the invention resides in the provision of an extremely inexpensive, easily operated spark arrester particularly adapted for domestic use as for covering ordinary trash cans or the like in which trash can be burned without danger from flying sparks.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of the spark arrester as described conveniently made of woven wire in the nature of hardware cloth in rectangular form, the hardware cloth being easily bent downwardly at the corners thereof to form flaps or lips for engaging the sides of the trash can in order to hold the spark arrester in position and closing the entire open top thereof to the end that sparks are obviated outside the trash can.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a hardware cloth spark arrester for trash cans including woven wires which are provided with bentin selvaged edges along two parallel opposite sides thereof and which are cut from substantially endless woven hardware cloth, the cut ends extending laterally and being bent at right angles, into general alignment and in the general plane of the spark arrester to the end that they then obviate all injurious projecting sharp ends, etc.

The invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly set forth in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating the new spark arrester;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion thereof illustrating the bent wire edges;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an edge view, looking in the direction of arrow 4 in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the spark arrester in operative position.

Woven wire in the nature of hardware cloth is a product which has long been made. In this case, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, wire members constitute the warp in the loom and wire members 12 constitute the filler. These wires are interwoven in a conventional machine and this allows the filler wires to be turned in at their ends, forming a selvage edge. The warp wire at the extreme edges are made double as indicated at 14 and 16, and as the filler wire 12 is interwoven therewith, a separation is formed into which the bent-over ends 18 can be conveniently tucked in. The ends 18 are bent inwardly from the originally extending ends 20 of the filler wire, the ends 20 now being parallel to the warp and the bent-in ends 18 being parallel to the adjacent filler.

The wires are positioned so that the filler wires are spaced apart a considerably greater distance than the warp wires, and this forms a rectangular mesh of say approximately one inch by half an inch or a little less. These apertures or interstices are believed to be optimum for spark arresting under conditions of fire in an enclosed area without a forced draft in that sparks and flaming hot ash are retarded, but there is no retardation of the natural draft so that the fire continues to burn without further attention. Smaller interstices would interfere with the draft and larger interstices would allow flaming particles to escape.

The square or rectangular spark arrester as shown in FIG. 1 is cut from long lengths of the woven mesh as above described and this leaves out ends 22 at both opposite edges of the spark arrester connecting the edges 24 and 26 which are provided with selvages as above described. These extending ends are then passed through a bending machine which causes these ends to be folded back into parallelism with each other and with the spark arrester in the general plane thereof as is clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the cut ends are indicated at 28 and these are in effect pressed inwardly at a slight angle in order to approach a center line so that the cut ends are rendered innocuous and do not present any kind of dangerous projection. The reason they can be turned inwardly at an angle is due to the thickness of the wire as shown at 12 in FIG. 4, each cut end 22 of course being at a slightly different elevation with regard to the plane of the spark arrester due to the thickness of the wires 12, alternate wires being lapped over the adjacent wire 12 and under the same.

With the spark arrester made according to the above description in a size to completely cover the top of an ordinary trash can, it is placed on top of the trash can and the corners which are indicated at 30 can be bent down forming guide lips or flanges for engaging the sides of the trash can, holding the spark arrester in position against accidental removal so that the trash fire is made safe due to the presence of the new and improved spark arrester.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. A spark arrester for trash cans comprising a planar generally rectangular woven wire mesh member including warp wires and filler wires, the filler wires being reversed and turned in at their ends to perform smooth selvages with no exposed cut ends at opposite sides of the wire mesh member, and the warp wires extending out from the other two sides, the extending ends of said warp wires being located at a general right angle with respect to the main portions of the warp wires, all of said extending warp ends facing generally in the same direction to form smooth edges between the selvages.

2. The spark arrester of claim 1 wherein the four corners of the wire mesh member are directed substantially at right angles with respect to the general plane of the spark arrester forming triangular lips for engagement with the side wall of the trash can.

3. A spark arrester for trash cans comprising a planar generally rectangular woven wire mesh member including warp wires and filler wires, the filler wires being turned in at their ends to perform smooth selvages at opposite sides of the wire mesh member, and the warp wires extending out from the other two sides, the extending ends of said warp wires being located at a gem eral right angle with respect to the main portions of the warp wires, all of said extending ends facing generally in the same direction to form smooth edges between the selvages, said extending ends being spaced slightly from a central plane of the spark arrester and being directed at slight angles inwardly so that the terminal ends thereof lie substantially in the central plane of the spark arrester.

4. A woven wire mesh device comprising a planar generally rectangular woven wire mesh member including warp Wires and filler wires, the filler wires being turned in at their ends to perform smooth selvages at s a 3 opposite'sid'es of the wire wires extending out from the other tWo'sidesJhe extending ends of said warp Wire's being located at a general right angle with respect to the main portions of the warp -wires, 'a1l of s'aid 'extending endsfacing generally in the same directio'n to form smooth edges between the selvages, said extending ends being-spaced'slightly"frornra central plane of the 'niember. V

5. A Woven 'Wire mesh device comprising-a planar 'generally rectangular 'woven' wirem'esh member includturned in at'their endsto perform smooth 'selvageslttt opposite'sides of the wire mesh rnernber, and "the Warp Wire's ex'tendin'g'out'vfrom the other two sides, the extendmsh member, and the warp 10 ing 'warp wiresqand'filler Wires, the filler wires being.

ing ends of said-warp Wires being located at a general "'i'ight angleWithrespect to theinain portions of the Warp wires, all of said extending ends facing generally in the same direction to form smooth edges between the selvages, said extending endsbeing spaced slightly from a central plane of the member and beinge directed at slight angles inwardly so thatthetermin-al ends thereof lie substantially in the central'plane of thejmember.

Referencesflited by the' Examiner, 7 V

UNITED STATES "PATENTS 

1. A SPARK ARRESTER FOR TRASH CANS COMPRISING A PLANAR GENERALLY RECTANGULAR WOVEN WIRE MESH MEMBER INCLUDING WRAP WIRES AND FILLER WIRES, THE FILLER WIRES BEING REVERSED AND TURNED IN AT THIRD ENDS TO PERFORM SMOOTH SLEVAGES WITH NO EXPOSED CUT ENDS AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE WIRE MESH MEMBER, AND THE WRAP WIRES EXTENDING OUT FROM THE OTHER TWO SIDES, THE EXTENDING ENDS OF SAID WRAP WIRES BEING LOCATED AT A GENERAL RIGHT ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO THE MAIN PORTIONS OF THE WRAP WIRES, ALL OF SAI D EXTENDING WRAP ENDS FACING GENERALLY IN THE SAME DIRECTION TO FORM SMOOTH EDGES BETWEEN THE SELVAGES. 